The present invention relates generally to an integrated type of information recording system including a photoelectric sensor and a liquid crystal recording medium stacked on each other, in which the orientation of the liquid crystal recording medium is varied for recording images, and more particularly to a packaged type of integrated information recording system having a plurality of integrated information recording media radially arranged on a disk substrate.
Information recording and reproducing methods, for instance, are disclosed in JP-A 1-290366 and JP-A 1-289975. As disclosed, a photoelectric sensor comprising a photo-conductive layer having an electrode on its front side is opposed, on the optical axis, to an information recording medium comprising a charge carrier layer having an electrode on its rear side. Then, while voltage is applied across both electrodes, the recording information medium is exposed to light to record electrostatic charges on the charge carrier layer depending on the incident optical image. Thereafter, the electrostatic charges are reproduced by toner development or potential reading. A method for making the recorded electrostatic charges visible, for instance, is disclosed in JP-A 3-192288. As disclosed, the charge carrier layer is formed of a thermoplastic resin layer. Then, the thermoplastic resin layer is heated after the electrostatic charges have been recorded on its surface, thereby forming a frost image on that surface.
Furthermore, the applicant has already filed Japanese patent application Nos. 4-3394, 4-24722 and 5-266646 for an information recording and reproducing method using an information recording medium constructed from a liquid crystal-polymer composite layer rather than the above-mentioned information recording layer. As above mentioned, the composite layer is exposed to light at an applied voltage to enable an electric field to be formed by the photoelectric sensor, so that the liquid crystal layer can be oriented for recording information. The thus recorded information can be reproduced in visible form by transmitted or reflected light. With this information recording and reproducing method, the recorded information may be visualized without recourse to a polarizing plate.
Incidentally, the thicknesses of the liquid crystal recording medium and photoelectric sensor are on the order of about 6 .mu.m and about 10 .mu.m, respectively, and so the integrated type information recording system has a total thickness as thin as 20 .mu.m or less. Never until now is equipment reported, which enables such a recording system to be built in or mounted on a camera so as to take pictures with ease.